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A Very MSE Advent 2025
Comments
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Reciope please?KajiKita said:
Made a batch of Italian chocolate and hazelnut cake. Never tried this one before but if the bowl scrapings are anything to go by it’s going to be amazing! 🤩 We will have a piece each with a cuppa and the rest I will wrap and put in the freezer for Christmas 😊
KKNo man is worth crawling on this earth.
So much to read, so little time.2 -
I've just eaten the shortbread I bought for my relative for Christmas, with a lovely cup of Horlicks, because he's being a ****.
Yum!Debts 04/01/25 01/11/26
CC total £20,411.34 £13,370
OD £1100 £0
Car loan £4,000 £2,100
Roof loan £10,684.44 £0
Total £36,195.78 £15,470
EF £5,000
HF £0.52
EB £2408 -
Thank you lovely folks for sharing your ideas, what a clever crafty lot you are.
I'm enjoying choosing different jewellery to wear each day, especially the brooches. Some have got broken clasps or stones missing but they are still sparkly and I'm thinking of repurposing a few as Christmas tree decorations.
Today I shall be mostly tying my hair back with a green velvet crunchy and wearing big gold coloured "gypsy" eaerrings.Grocery challenge 2026: £1,205/1,5006 -
We sat and did the 2024 12th night task of going through the card list and marking who we heard from (Mr Sl has had the cards next to him all year
- I had no idea!) so that we do actually pare back the cards this year. Now we each have our part of the list to write them! I might buy the stamps today. Still to go through my bee-related crafting boxes I am going to make a couple of beeswax candles and I might finish my wreath today (it just needs the back taping). He has to take the truck to a specialist to see about some welding. Save £12k in 2026 #2 I have banked £10,836.47 in 9 months, against a £10k target The Save £12k in 2026 thread is here
OS Grocery Challenge in 2026 I have a £3000 annual budget for 2026 - currently £2270.73 to the end of Oct
I also Reverse Meal Plan on that thread and grow much of our own premium price fruit and veg, joining in on the grow your own in 2027 thread brand new and sparkling - feel free to join us and say what and how you are planning
My keep within our budget diary is here7 -
Happy new week everyone!
Friday 5th - painted my nails a lovely sparkly red - felt very festive! Also went to one of our favourite events of the year - Pigs Ear Beer Festival in London, it always feels like Christmas can start once we've been there!
Saturday 6th - Local charity tractor run. Excellent fun - well over 100 tractors all wonderfully decorated with lights taking part and everyone having a mighty good time. Also had a sneaky peek of the lights at the steam railway which are AMAZING - I'll see if I can add a pic!
Yesterday - nothing specifically christmassy except for finishing the main bit of the front room decorating including hanging some pictures (those who are also on the OAT thread know this is my achilles heel!) and buying and hanging the new clock/mirror (both in one - absolutely perfect allowing we couldn't decide which we wanted!)
Today - Perfume on, and the nail varnish is still just about acceptable for work as long as I keep my right thumb hidden...
We have also finally got around to treating ourselves to a new TV and DVD player to replace the old (very old!) combined one, which was fine at the flat as it was far closer to us (smaller rooms) but just too small for where we are now. We bought one new one when we moved in (two rooms we watch in, and only had one TV before) but with hindsight that is also a little small for the living room, so that one has now moved to the front room where it's a perfect size, and the new slightly larger one is in the living room where it also works really well. Total spend £190 which was a bargain anyway, and paid for from our Virtual Sealed pot savings. (Tilly tidies which accumulate through the year and are always used to treat ourselves to something we would otherwise struggle to justify)
🎉 MORTGAGE FREE (First time!) 30/09/2016 🎉 And now we go again…New mortgage taken 01/09/23 🏡
Balance as at 01/09/23 = £115,000.00 at 31/12/23 = £112,000.00
Balance as at 31/08/24 = £105,400.00 at 31/12/24 = £102,500.00
£100k barrier broken 1/4/25
Balance as at 31/08/25 = £ 95,450.00 at 31/12/25 = £ 91,100.00
Balance as at 31/08/26 = £ 84,500.00
SOA CALCULATOR (for DFW newbies): SOA Calculatorshe/her12 -
Wonderful decorations there eh
Dxx22: 3🏅 4⭐ 23: 5🏅 6 ⭐ 24 1🏅 2⭐ 25 🏅 🥈2⭐ 26 2🥈 Never save something for a special occasion. Every day is a special occasion. The diff between what you were yesterday and what you'll be tomorrow is what you do today Well organised clutter is still clutter - Joshua Becker If youre not already using a thing you won't start using it more by shoving it in a cupboard- AJMoney The barrier standing between you & what youre truly capable of isnt lack of info, ideas or techniques. The secret is 'do it'1 -
Aren't they stunning - we were just marveling at both how long it must have taken, and how on earth they remember where all the various lights go! They go all the way along the platforms, too!🎉 MORTGAGE FREE (First time!) 30/09/2016 🎉 And now we go again…New mortgage taken 01/09/23 🏡
Balance as at 01/09/23 = £115,000.00 at 31/12/23 = £112,000.00
Balance as at 31/08/24 = £105,400.00 at 31/12/24 = £102,500.00
£100k barrier broken 1/4/25
Balance as at 31/08/25 = £ 95,450.00 at 31/12/25 = £ 91,100.00
Balance as at 31/08/26 = £ 84,500.00
SOA CALCULATOR (for DFW newbies): SOA Calculatorshe/her7 -
No man is worth crawling on this earth.
So much to read, so little time.0 -
Ooh, those lights are beautiful! 😍
Candlelit yoga this morning for me, day 8 😊 today's session was just 14 minutes, and focused on rejuvenating tired feet. Most jolly.
Met a colleague to work towards our upcoming deadline. Met in the middle, so hung out in two different cafes, and had a festive sandwich and a mince pie over the course of our time there 😊
Home now, and definitely developing a full blow cold. I was a bit tired last night but nothing untoward, and felt OK going out this morning, but by the time I came home was sniffly and shivery. So a restful evening for me, with a nice hot bath and an early bed!6 -
Oh no Cheery this is NOT the time of year for a cold, is it! Hopefully the early night etc will help see it off.
Have another station christmas lights picture by way of a bit of additional cheer..
🎉 MORTGAGE FREE (First time!) 30/09/2016 🎉 And now we go again…New mortgage taken 01/09/23 🏡
Balance as at 01/09/23 = £115,000.00 at 31/12/23 = £112,000.00
Balance as at 31/08/24 = £105,400.00 at 31/12/24 = £102,500.00
£100k barrier broken 1/4/25
Balance as at 31/08/25 = £ 95,450.00 at 31/12/25 = £ 91,100.00
Balance as at 31/08/26 = £ 84,500.00
SOA CALCULATOR (for DFW newbies): SOA Calculatorshe/her11
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